New Priorities
by deanandhisimpala
Summary: Tag to "The Usual Suspects". Because, of course, the boys needed to know what happened to each other while they were separated. Little bit of angst.


**I have SO been bitten by the writing bug these days! :D**

**Disclaimer: I wish.**

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"So are you okay?"

Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes to the sky. "You're kidding me with that, right?" He turned to look at his brother, who was ambling along beside him. They had been walking for about an hour since they'd left Detective Ballard, and the compound where the Impala was being kept was still pretty far away.

Dean looked back at him. "Why would I be kidding?" His green eyes were as wide and as serious as Sam had ever seen them.

Sam huffed. _"Because_, Dean. You're the one who was practically _shot_, and you're asking _me_ if I'm okay?"

Dean looked genuinely confused. "Well, yeah? You're the one who went after some spirit."

Sam stared at his brother for a moment, then shook his head and sighed. "I'm fine, Dean. The spirit wasn't after me, she wasn't after anybody. She was just a death omen, that's all."

"Well, good."

Sam glanced at his him and saw that Dean looked totally relaxed and happy now, continuing to walk beside Sam like there was no place in the world he'd rather be. He realized that was probably true, and lightly bumped Dean's shoulder with his own.

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"What about you, are you okay?"

"Dude, of course I am," Dean replied, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets and hunching his shoulders against the early morning wind.

Sam actually did roll his eyes this time. "Oh, _of course_ you are. How could I be so dumb?"

Dean gave him a "what's-got-your-panties-in-a-twist?" look. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing, Dean," Sam said with a sigh. He scuffed his feet as they walked. Why could Dean never care about _himself? _Why was it always "Are you okay? Are you okay, Sammy?" Even at times when it was so obviously Dean who had been in more danger.

He shivered a little, the image of Dean kneeling helpless in front of that crazy cop with a gun coming back into his head. Pete had been so intent on not getting caught, there'd been a very good chance Dean could've been shot. Sam shook his head a little, not wanting to think about it. Dean was fine, he was right here. He glanced sideways at his brother, who had his eyes on the ground and was looking thoughtful.

"Hey Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened, like while you were still in jail?" Dean had been wondering the whole time he was being kept prisoner.

"Nothing."

Sam's answer was too quick, and Dean's eyes shot up to look at him.

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, nothing."

"You just sat there, chilling, no cops or anything, until you got my note? And then BAM, you went all _Underworld_ and jumped out the window?" Dean's sarcasm was in full swing.

Sam stopped dead and turned to look at his brother. _"Underworld?" _

"Yeah 'cause in _Underworld_ the guy jumped out the… the vampire movie…?" Dean trailed off as Sam stared at him blankly. "Nevermind. So c'mon, what really happened?"

The boys started walking again, but Dean's eyes were still glued on Sam. He could always tell when Sam was hiding something.

"I told you, Dean. Nothing happened. She came in and talked to me, and then that was it." Sam didn't look at Dean as he spoke, he knew just how well Dean could read him, cause he was just as good at reading Dean.

"What'd she talk to you about?"

"Nothing, Dean! Just the usual stuff! You know, 'what do you know', 'why'd you do it', that kinda thing!"

"Well why you getting all uptight about it if it was nothing?" Dean had a slight smirk.

"I'm not getting uptight!" Sam said loudly, then huffed again as he saw Dean's still disbelieving look. "Fine, you wanna know so bad? She wanted me to turn you in, tell her that you'd killed Karen! She said…" he stopped, not wanting to say it.

"She said what?" Dean's voice had quieted, he looked concerned now.

"She said… she said to just let you go, cause you were a bad person. Cause your life was over. That I could have a life, a normal life, if I just turned you in and left." Sam's voice was almost a whisper by now, and he couldn't look at Dean. Detective Ballard's words had chilled him to the bone even then, because they were so much what he wanted – a normal life – but at the same time everything he didn't want - Dean gone, in jail, maybe dead. Not at his side. That she had thought that he would actually do that – turn against his own brother – had bothered him a lot.

He could feel Dean's eyes on him, and finally met them with his own. Dean looked surprised and very worried.

"So… what did you say?"

Sam shrugged. "I didn't say anything, I just pretended I'd given in, I told her the story we came up with, you know."

Dean nodded, looking away, his eyes on the ground again. Sam could feel the worry practically radiating off of him. When his brother didn't speak for a few minutes, he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"What, Dean?"

His brother glanced at him, green eyes pale, that familiar look of uncertainty clear on his face. "I dunno… did you… I mean, did you consider it at all?" He was looking away again.

Sam came to a dead stop. "What? Dean how could you -?"

Dean stopped too, hands firmly in his pockets as he reluctantly turned to face Sam. "I didn't mean… I didn't mean that you _would_ have, I was just... I mean, isn't that what you want?"

"Isn't _what_ what I want?" Sam was barely controlling his temper.

"A normal life." Dean had that vulnerable look again, the one that he got when he knew he was in trouble, but had to push on because he _needed_ so desperately to know.

Sam forced himself to stay calm. "Dean, how can you say that? After all this?"

Dean didn't answer.

"After everything, Dean! Dad, and the Yellow-Eyed Demon, and the accident – don't you get it yet?"

"What?" Dean asked finally, his voice hoarse. He looked like he really didn't know what Sam could be talking about.

"I don't want that anymore! I don't want… I don't want what I did before! I have different priorities now, Dean!" He threw his arms wide, trying desperately to get his feelings through to Dean. "I don't know what's going to happen once we've killed Yellow-Eyes. But I do know that you're gonna be included in whatever I decide to do, Dean." He paused, breathing heavily, half-glaring at his brother.

Dean didn't say anything, he was watching Sam with a strange look, like he'd never had anybody tell him he'd be included in their life, outside of hunting jobs, before. He probably hadn't been.

"Just… forget about what I said before, Dean. In Chicago. That was a long time ago and… things have changed." He paused. "I've changed."

Dean nodded slightly, but seemed to be lost for words.

Sam lowered his arms, breathing heavily, and then frowned as Dean just kept looking at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Dean said, but blinked quickly. "You really mean that?"

_Oh Dean… _

"Of course I do, Dean."

Dean smiled a little. "Thanks Sam."

Sam couldn't help smiling back, despite his frustration that Dean didn't know that stuff already. "Come on, Dean. The compound's still pretty far."

They started walking again, this time their shoulders brushing. Dean didn't move away.

"So, what happened while _you _were in jail?" Sam asked, suddenly realizing he didn't know about Dean's time in prison either.

"Nothing," Dean said, glancing at Sam with a grin.

"Dude."

"Nothing, Sam – really. I was just sitting there the whole time. Actually, there was that time when Pete came in and like, threw me against the wall…" He said it nonchalantly, like it didn't matter, and Sam jumped on it immediately.

"_What?_ Dean, are you..."

"Don't start, Sam."

"_Fine."_

Sam knew that Dean couldn't be hurt, or Pete would have got in trouble for it. And they did get thrown against walls at least five times a week. And those were the good weeks. But still.

"I'm still checking you out to make sure you're okay when we get to a motel."

"_Fine_."

Sam felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and when he glanced sideways at Dean, he saw a little smirk on his face as well. He shoved Dean with his shoulder lightly, but still hard enough to make him stumble a little.

Dean threw a fake glare at him.

"Bitch."

Sam grinned. "Jerk."

Yeah. They were gonna be okay.

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**Deanandhisimpala**


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